i'm betty ngyuen. all eyes are on the g-20 summit and what is shaping up to be an international showdown. president obama arrived just a short time ago in st. petersburg russia where he is joining world leaders. while the summit largely focussed on economic growth, the crisis in syria will likely dominate part of the agenda. it's amid already heightened tensions between the u.s. and russia. chuck todd is traveling with the president in russia. good morning, chuck. >> reporter: good afternoon from st. petersburg. i know it's morning in the states. the president has arrived here in st. petersburg. and he'll be having at some point some sort of meeting with russian president vladimir putin. but it's going to be quick. it may be just simply a handshake, a few gestures here and there but no formal meeting is set up and no informal meeting is set up by either side. the two countries and the two leaders have some big disputs over this last few months. namely edward snowden. of course, the nsa leaker and the d

i'm betty ngyuen. >>> president obama is renewing list quest today for foreign support of a strike in syria. on the second and final day of the g-20 summit. in washington thursday, a cia meets csi closed door briefing on the evidence. the senate intelligence committee was shown video of the alleged chemical attack. one senator called the footage horrendous, but it is still unclear whether there is a global coalition behind a potential strike. russia, china and the european union have all condemned the attack, but they say it's too soon for military action. >>> and concerns are rising in iran, a syrian ally. ayatollah khomeini, the supreme leader, told the state body the u.s. will, quote, certainly suffer loss if it takes military action. nbc's chief white house correspondent chuck todd is traveling with the president. in st. petersburg. >> reporter: the handshake was friendly enough. even lasted a couple extra beats. russian president putin welcoming president obama to st. petersburg for the g-20 summi

i'm betty ngyuen. telling a french newspaper that the fire is approaching. the reaction on the heels of the report that agrees with the united states conclusion that syria used chemical weapons. >>> turkey is joining the ranks of military action. this is making headlines across the globe with profound human impact. the u.n. states that 2 million people fled syria. that is about one-third of the country's population. several developments right here at home. president obama spent his labor day meeting with john mccain and lindsey graham all to drum up support for action in syria. >> a vote against that resolution by congress, i think, would be catastrophic because it would undermine the credibility of the united states of america and the president of the united states. >> and that was just the first in a string of other meetings. we have tracie potts. what is next for the ground work for approval to the split congress? >> reporter: sure, betty. you want to watch the senate foreign relations committee. they will hear from three relations committees. john kerry